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Airport fears curfew coming

John Thistleton

Monaro MP John Barilaro, Queanbeyan Mayor Tim Overall and Village Building Company director Bob Winnel on site at Tralee. Photo: Jay Cronan

Canberra Airport believes approval of the South Tralee housing development is already threatening its curfew-free status as the rezoning stirs a dogfight between federal MPs and the NSW Liberal Government.

NSW Planning Minister Brad Hazzard said on Tuesday rezoning rural land to make way for 2000 homes south of Queanbeyan would not restrict the airport's future growth.

The airport could maintain its curfew-free operation, its potential for a 24-hour, seven-day freight operation and an increase in flight numbers.

But the announcement has provoked anger in the airlines industry and federal government because of noise complaints that could restrict aircraft movements.

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Federal Transport Minister Anthony Albanese said Canberra's curfew-free status provided opportunities to expand into freight, particularly with fresh produce going to the Asian region, that could not go out of Sydney because of its curfew.

Mr Albanese said Mr Hazzard had no authority to protect an airport's curfew.

''It's like saying that anyone who's moved into a flight path under Sydney Airport since the 1920s, has no right to complain about aircraft noise. I'll give you the big news tip - people do.''

Canberra Airport managing director Stephen Byron seized on comments from Queanbeyan mayor Tim Overall that council's long-standing policy was to support a curfew.

''The whole bedrock of this decision was no curfew. Queanbeyan Council on day one is arguing for a curfew.

''The bedrock is on shifting sands, the whole basis for no restraint on the airport is unravelling before our eyes.''

On radio Mr Overall had said: ''I'd have to say it is already on the record going back quite a few years now, that council does not support a 24-hour operation at the airport and supports a curfew. But that has nothing to do with South Tralee.''

Later Mr Overall said his comments related to the previous council's response to the airport's 2008 preliminary draft master plan for an international airport, and its opposition to a 24-hour operation and curfew.

''The current council hasn't considered it, nor is it on the agenda. I don't think I will make any more comment on it.''

The rezoning from rural to residential follows more than a decade of furious debate and planning inquiries. Queanbeyan Council will now preside over the planning proposals which include noise-insulated homes, a school, swimming pool, community facilities and playing fields.

Developer Village Building Company also has an option, subject to planning approval, to develop Environa, another parcel of land near Tralee that sits on the border near Hume.

Managing director Bob Winnel said the company was not looking at it at this stage and was focused on Tralee.

Mr Byron said it could take the staged development to 5500-7000 homes, but Mr Winnel said: ''We really don't want to get into it, if anything comes up we will debate it at that time.''

The two rival developers are locked in a related dispute following the airport's attempt to buy a portion of the Tralee estate, to exercise control over future development.

The matter is listed for hearing in the Family Court early next year.

Federal shadow treasurer Joe Hockey joined the debate on Tuesday saying it ''does seem odd the state government would approve additional residential housing around Canberra Airport, when it says that should be the second airport for Sydney''.

Mr Hockey, who has previously described NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell's position on Sydney Airport as ''absurd'', said: 'The Premier is entitled to his views but we should really be honest and deal with this issue in the Sydney Basin.

''Canberra Airport was never a viable option as Sydney's second airport and it certainly isn't now.''

Mr Hockey is one of a group of federal Coalition MPs trying to persuade Mr O'Farrell to drop his opposition to a second airport in the Sydney Basin.

They are desperate to avoid what some describe as the ''Armageddon scenario'' spelt out in a joint federal/state planning report released earlier this year.

That report said if immediate action was not taken to start planning for a second airport there would be traffic gridlock around Sydney Airport, air travel delays, lost jobs and economic growth and a return to the concentration of aircraft noise that plagued Sydney in the 1990s.

The report said there were only two options for a second airport. The best remained the Badgerys Creek site, near Liverpool, bought by the Hawke government almost three decades ago but now ruled out by both sides of politics. The second best was at Wilton, south-west of Campbelltown, where the Gillard government has begun scoping studies, despite the NSW government's trenchant opposition.

Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has not ruled out support for a second Sydney Airport.

The Canberra Airport is awaiting planning documents and reasons for the decision before making its next move, and will continue its vigorous opposition at every opportunity.

with Lenore Taylor and Josephine Tovey

16 comments

Get on with it. If people want to buy there, they will. There are thousands of people who live under the busiest flight paths all over Australia. Mascot, Essendon, Brisbane. It appears the only ones upset at this decision is the C'lth Government, the Snows and Steven Byron whose only interest is themselves.

Commenter

Kim.

Location

Canberra

Date and time

November 07, 2012, 5:31AM

Not the only ones upset, so are the thousands of residents of Tuggeranong who will potentially have air traffic 'sharing' with Tralee. The suburbs you mention interstate were built before the airports. This insane idea to build Tralee pleases one person, Winnel. There needs to be a immediate inquiry into how much money he has donated to the Liberal Party. This makes zero sense to anyone. I hope the Federal government can stop it.

Commenter

Canberran

Date and time

November 07, 2012, 6:17AM

It's probably a good buy. Get it cheap while there is an aircraft noise threat then lobby to get the rules changed to reduce the noise.

Commenter

Ken Taylor

Location

Canberra

Date and time

November 07, 2012, 7:10AM

Agreed, if people want to buy there they will. As long as they later don't want the airport closed, moved or curfews imposed. Many have and do live under flight paths, but likewise, many have complained over the years (after building or moving close to an existing airport) and had flight paths altered, and take off procedures and approach paths and altitudes changed. This is what Canberra Airport and others have been arguing - don't complain once the airport expands or introduces late night cargo flights.

Commenter

Dee2

Date and time

November 07, 2012, 9:46AM

For years, the Federal and Territorial 'planning' of Canberra has been a breathless gallop to enrich the private interests of Developer 1 and Developer 2. See under Majura Parkway.

The only piquant difference with Tralee is that, for once, their private interests directly collide. Pope's vibrant cartoon.of today captures this wonderfully.

The light rail project is a rare opportunity for the new ACT Government to reassert some central relevance, beyond the municipal mowing as Pope also has it.

Commenter

Stephen

Date and time

November 07, 2012, 6:08AM

Get over it Byron!

Commenter

driver

Date and time

November 07, 2012, 6:47AM

this is ridiculous - why would they even consider doing this - the ACT is surrounded by vacant rural land, all it takes is for the ACT government to make arrangements with the NSW government to transfer some of the land which is nowhere near the airport flight path. I mean this process is going to have to take place post the trallee development anyways once that land is used, lets get some common sense going here and commence the land release process now, leave the flight path vacant and develop on the outskirts of the north, west, east boarders --------------- the narrow minds of those in charge down there is a joke. Would you pay 600k for a one bedda under the flight path and have canberra crippled through caveats on fly in fly out workers???????

Commenter

abc

Date and time

November 07, 2012, 7:09AM

Canberra

The new home of the worlds most expensive domestic airport.

What a complete waste of money the upgrade at the airport will be with this decision.

Commenter

yes

Date and time

November 07, 2012, 8:07AM

Yet another attempt to pull the 'wool' over our eyes. First 2000 houses and today 5,500 to 7,000, what the? How many more to come next t5o a industial area.

Commenter

Cranky

Date and time

November 07, 2012, 8:12AM

The curfew is coming for Canberra airport....the googlemaps satellite picture doesn't lie.Canberra's inner south, Queanbeyan and lots of other suburbs are far closer than Tralee is to the Canberra airports runway and the inner south residents vote in Canberra.The people of the inner south won't take long to get rev'ved up and put the reverse thrust on Canberra Airport 24 hr noise making activities and clip Byron's ever stretching wings that cast a cold dark shadow over the whole Canberra area.

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